The alcohol one is a bit of a different one, however, supply of alcohol rarely drops - but the nature of how/what is consumed changes over time and with cycles. This is esspecially true in Australia.

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Ive got a couple of friends who work for different alcohol companies. They both have said that alcohol consumption is down and dropping in australia. Apparently the industry is being squeezed by the wellness movement and drugs.

Brothels can be good businesses but not always. I have at least 3 clients who have had brothels and got out of it because it was too hard. Finding staff, dealing with criminal elements, staff stealing and under reporting etc.

There was a Brothel business for sale in Newcastle asvertised through a business broker earlier this year..
Price was 350k.

I made enquiries and signed a confidentiality disclosure, on finding out the name of the business I done my research to see it had had problems with bikies owning it previously.

I decided not to go look at it, I mean it seemed to be a good money spinner, was licensed by the Council, etc but I was a bit afraid of the bikie element , I have heard stories where they have turned up st brothels and nightclubs and told the owner he needs to pay protection money.

Regardless of making money or not I wouldn't buy or be associated with a business that is unethical or distasteful.

On the point of liquidators, I think this would be a hard job, trying to produce a suitable outcome and dealing in people's misery and some of the toughest days of their lives.

I don't think it is just a matter of looking at a business' books and doing due diligence to make sure numbers stack, I feel you have I believe in the business itself, that is the intangible that will make a good business great.

There was a Brothel business for sale in Newcastle asvertised through a business broker earlier this year..
Price was 350k.

I made enquiries and signed a confidentiality disclosure, on finding out the name of the business I done my research to see it had had problems with bikies owning it previously.

I decided not to go look at it, I mean it seemed to be a good money spinner, was licensed by the Council, etc but I was a bit afraid of the bikie element , I have heard stories where they have turned up st brothels and nightclubs and told the owner he needs to pay protection money.

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ABC News radio had a segment on brothel ownership a while back - most were saying the businesses were struggling heavily due to independent people working online. Zippo overheads.

Yeah I don't think that alcohol is a great business either. With the changing demographics of Australia people are drinking less alcohol and the Australian Government raises the amount of tax on it bi-annually. The margins are low and you're competing with Wesfarmers/Woolworth's various franchises who will always undercut you. Depending on the demographics of the area you could also be looking at regular theft occurrences. Than you've got to pay rent/salaries/utilities etc.

Funerals are a less than sure way of making money. Sure, people are dying all the time but it's not a market you can grow - one person=one funeral. You'd be in competition with long established businesses, have to cover significant overheads and be available 7/24.

I don't know about Australia but back in UK the average undertaker does around two funerals a week thus e.g. each client has to pay for half a week of an arranger's salary and oncosts although they may only take a 2-3 hours of their time. Some weeks you might be busy; on a summer week you might get nothing with all the overheads still having to be paid. The outfits that do OK are the ones that have multiple outlets served by one central depot which does reduce the overheads significantly (though not the price charged).

Alcohol consumption has declined for many years but not the money that is used for alcohol. Consumers' taste are changing and they buy less but more premium products. E.g. The most popular beer brands VB, XXXX, Tooheys are slowly loosing market share to more premium boutique 'craft' beers. When 10 years ago it was common to take slab of beer (e.g. VB) to the party now guests turns up with 2 x 6 packs of premium products (e.g. Corona or James squire)

As a business I wouldn't touch is as 2Fast4u said Woolworths/Coles dominates the market with their liquorstore chains and you can not beat their buying power.

Very lightly doing research into brothels at the moment as a friend is pitched the idea a couple of times. Back in the day they appeared to be HUGE money spinners but with the internet allowing people to connect directly. Much like the taxi industry those playing by the rules are paying big overheads and subject to solid regulation, and bending the rule is difficult as you are more likely to be punished registered breaking the rules than unregistered ignoring them entirely.

Booze isn't straight forward. Again licensing rules are making it harder and harder and selling generic off license has tight margins.

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